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Thursday, 12 May 2016

Farage is a referendum vote loser. He should not appear on ITV's non-debate

Farage's vanity is limitless hence he cannot resist ITV's flattery. I got kicked off UKIP NEC when I made it clear to Farage supporter Duffy that my agenda was to get out of the EU and I did not care who delivered it. This of course sealed my fate with the Farage cult that still controls UKIP although the rise of Hamilton in Wales might change this. Frankly I see no difference between Farage and Hamilton. They deserve each other but pity the poor ordinary exploited shrinking army of UKIP members.

It is reported that Vote Leave are considering legal action via the Electoral Commission to stop Farage appearing as a member of the designated opposition group. I hope they succeed. Gisela Stuart. a Labour MP would be far more effective. Flashman Cameron comes over as a sneering Old Etonian against women. Remember his snide remark to Harriet Harman in the HoC. There is nothing unpleasant about Gisela Stuart and she is German born! She is a vote winner, Farage is a vote loser.

By putting up Farage ITN have been rightly accused of joining the Remain campaign by choosing the opposition spokesman with the most baggage and least electoral appeal. Over half the voters in this referendum are women to whom Farage's booze and fags image is a big turn off.

There is a very good piece in the Telgraph by Maj General Julian Thompson who commanded our land forces in the Falklands. Link

"Without EU support, we are told, Argentina would perceive Britain as “weakened” and might invade the Falklands.

In fact, the UK’s liberation of the islands in 1982, which strengthened the credibility of British power worldwide for decades, did not benefit at all from membership of the EEC as it then was. Individual European nations did help on a bilateral basis – France, for example, ceased supplying Exocet missiles to Argentina at the request of the prime minister. But Italy and Ireland did all they could to help Argentina and hinder Britain. The key strategic factors that enabled the British were fourfold. First, we had the ability to manage our own defence policy and foreign affairs. Secondly, we had strong armed forces that we could deploy without seeking permission from any other country. Thirdly, a seat at the UN Security Council gave us influence where it mattered. Fourthly, close relations with the US meant that – before America openly sided with us – it provided the Fleet Air Arm with the latest Sidewinder air-to-air missile (originally destined for Israel), and diverted tankers to replenish the supply of fuel to the task force as it steamed south.

So should the Falklands be threatened again, would things be different if we were still in the EU? Despite denials to the contrary by the Remain camp, the unelected oligarchy of officials who run the EU have two aims that would change the game entirely, especially if the UK is locked into the ever-closer union announced in last June’s “Five Presidents’ Report”.

First, the UK will be subordinate to a common security and defence policy as articulated in the Lisbon Treaty Article 42. It contains statements such as: “Member States shall make civilian and military capabilities available to the Union for the implementation of the common security and defence policy”, and, “Member States shall identify operational requirements, and shall promote measures to satisfy those requirements”. The language, using shall, is mandatory: that is the way it is going to go."

The big political point is that if we vote to Remain in the EU the Falklands will fall to Argentina and we will not have the military assets to mount a rescue operation. . It cost us much blood and gold to defend the Falklands. There was universal support in the UK for this action which was driven through by Maragaret Thatcher.

Will all this be sacrificed to the whim of dodgy mid European bureaucrats who resent UK success and are loking for pay back for the last few centuries when Britain was top dog.

When i went to EU meetings in the early 80s when the Falklands conflict was active I was shocked by the naked hatred of the UK and US that was prevalent amongst senior French and German bureaucrats. That is the root cause of our permanent lack of influence in the EU.